Theos-Talk Archives (December 2001 Message tt00463)

Friday, December 21, 2001


Dear A------ie:


Many thanks for what you write. But I do not feel I deserve it.
I have been unwell the last couple of days and so I have been
unable to keep up with the flow.

I see your letter and appreciate it. No, I cannot let it pass
without disclaiming any superiority whatsoever. I am exactly the
same in essence as all of us are. I have been testing Theosophy
for a long time, this life-time, and have found it the most
valuable of all systems that give a useful reason for man's
desire to learn and to progress. I suppose that I have adopted
some of its [the Theosophical ] expressions. I try to use them
and continually urge others to try to judge them on their merits.
If we judge things personally then we get into opinionate
confusion. There has been much of that lately. I have found it
most annoying, and even more so when H P B and the Great Founders
of the THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY and the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT, are
criticized by those who have only made limited studies into
Theosophical affairs and the written records that are available.

So let me be quite clear: I try to write as a "Theosophist"
might -- but am well aware that I am only a "student of
Theosophy." I am seeking, and looking at the principles, and not
at the persons. If some choose to take my comments personally
that is their privilege, it is not my intention.

For those who deal in the review of history, if their facts are
clear, then there is little to argue over. It is when those are
obscured or blurred, that exposure to the real facts has to be
made, and questions asked. Thank fortune that we are still close
enough to the founding of the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT that these
details are still available to most of us to review for
ourselves. In any case a study of THEOSOPHY soon reveals the
nature of any writer to the rest.

We all know the same truths. We all have the same HIGHER SELF --
the Divine ATMAN in each of us as part of our MONAD. In fact we
do everything in common, the air, water, food, and Earth's
resources, our thoughts and our feelings, desires and passions,
all, are not selfishly segregated -- THEY ARE SHARED. So if we
write anything we ought to look on it as a shared experience to
which we offer our view so that others may review it. In that
case, what have we to defend or to be secretive about ?

You are also right, I do not try to hide my views on another's
comments, or spread them where they are not wanted. In lists as
clear and widely shared as are ours, we are all interested in the
PRINCIPLES of THEOSOPHY and their APPLICATIONS. Who generates
them, and why, is a personal matter, and I try to take great care
to avoid any indications of that. I have adopted this principle
in writing to the Lists since I first began my contributions. I
have not changed.

I just wrote to another friend:

======	copy	===============

I am very sorry if I offended. It was not intentional. I assumed
when a posting was made it would cover a subject that most
Theosophists would have met or have already had experience in.

When I write, I write for the wide readership of our lists. I
assume that when something is posted to the Lists it is for
general consumption. I subscribe to several lists. I treat us
all as Theosophists working together. I try to make the response
as impersonal as I can. I always hope that there will be a
response in answer to the principles being discussed.

I deplore any and all personal references. And I have said that
"opinions" are usually faulty. If we impersonalize things, then
there is great safety, as we are all struggling to learn and to
apply those -- providing they are impersonal, universal and help
us towards our goal of PERFECTION.

My basis is that we are all learning, and through comparison with
one another, we learn far more quickly than is we tried to cover
the subject with multiple and individual letters. In plain words
I am as defective and faulty as anyone else is who is struggling
to see clearly and deal gently with all events that occur and
involve me.

I do not try to violate any personal confidences. I try to erase
any "SOURCE" to which a piece of mail can be traced. If, I find
the subject important and valuable to give it an impersonal
hearing.

That is my only explanation. It is not my intention to step on
any one's toes. I assume we are all brothers here and have
common problems and contributions to offer readers and friends.
I have certainly learned from yours. I appreciate that and have
said so.

=================================

You are right. I only try to advance Theosophical principles.
And when I think I see them violated, then I write.

I try to keep personalities out of the answers, and usually I
delete Source, etc... perhaps I miss some. Other friends have
cautioned me in this, and I have tried to impersonalize as much
as possible.

Best wishes, and many thanks for your charitable grasp of my
motive.

Dallas


PS

Both Steve and Gerry know me since long and know my way of
handling things, so they also know that I do not bother to take
time to "hide" anything. I assume we all can appreciate the
straightforward attitude all postings and posters adopt.


I support unreservedly, H P B and the Masters of Wisdom who stand
behind Her -- and whose benevolence has caused the present
manifestation of the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT we are all party to.

I decry carping critics, whose unsupported and opinionated
statements reveal how little they have studied Theosophy, and
Those who took the pains to promulgate it.

Does any one dare to challenge the fact that there is in Nature a
place for those who are the Builders and the Creators of the
Worlds, Suns and the Galaxies, or that Humanity is friendless,
and has no Elder Brothers ?

Can any one say they know all the Laws and Purposes of Nature?

Can any one say that the most advanced savants of our time have
done anything more than scratch at the physical surface of
manifested Nature? Who knows the Astral Plane and the
electro-magnetic laws of its organization?

Who can deny, through proof and experience, that there is an
Ethical and Moral LAW that runs concurrently with all of Nature's
many cooperative and supportive laws ? Is Karma, individual and
collective, mundane and Universal denied? Are Justice and
honesty, sincerity and virtue non-existent ?


DTB

===============================


-----Original Message-----
From: a-----e
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 7:52 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Historical accuracy and specifying your own sources.

=========================================

Dear ----- ---- and others,

I only recently rejoined this list and have gotten in on the tail
end of
this "debate," so I don't wish particularly to address the issues
under discussion, not having read everything. But this statement
I
cannot let go by without saying something.

> I don't think that would work, Paul. Dallas TenBroek
> is cross posting to bn-study as a way of attacking
> Gerald Schueler presumably without Gerald's knowledge.
> He seemingly intends to make it clear that the Dallas
> TenBroek problem will not be solved. That strikes me
> as sleazy, but not at all surprising. Typical is the
> word that comes to mind. Sorry, "Dallas", if you were
> hoping Gerald would not find out what you are doing.
>
> He knows now. Come to think of it, I guess everyone
> else does too.
>
> S----

======================================

Anyone who thinks that Dallas posts as he does in order to attack
someone without their knowledge hasn't been paying very close
attention to what Dallas is saying. It is always thus, that those
who
offer their heart and soul in an attempt to bring some truth,
some
light and wisdom, into the world, are crucified by those they try
to
help. Dallas' comments are uniformly devoted to revealing the
inner
meaning of theosophical teachings, to defending those wrongly
abused, and he offers his comments with humility and devotion. He
has a more complete understanding of these teachings than most
of us, and if we only could see that he is offering us the very
things
we need the most, we would stop trying to manipulate his words
and pay attention instead to what he is trying to show us.


Theosophy belongs to all humanity. It is not a game or an
intellectual exercise. It is our heart's blood. It is us, the
real inner
Self of us all. We can ignore its truths, criticize its
messengers,
behave as though it was some doubtful abberation if we choose,
but when we do that we miss our opportunity to take its teachings
to heart and begin to make them a part of our lives. It would
seem
that now, at this juncture in our collective evolution, when so
many
of these truths are being thrown into sharp relief on the world
stage,
we would be trying all the harder to understand and internalize
the
ancient wisdom the Masters have given us, in order to be useful
in
the war that is upon us.


How long will humanity continue to repay
generosity and devotion with slander and hostility? How much
longer do we really have to play that useless and destructive
game? The Master says, "'Do not throw pearls before swine." Is
this what is happening? Or is it possible that those who choose
to
try to relegate theosophy to the stature of some parlor game are
really crying out for someone to say the one word that will show
them the way to the light of understanding, not only of the mind,
but
of the heart? It seems to me that the latter is the most likely
possibility, and I am sure that Dallas, and those like him, will
keep
trying to provide that light, as long as the breath of life
enables
them. We should be saying thank you, with all our hearts.

A--------


CUT